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Child Support Services

Denver Child Support exists for the children. We believe every child deserves the emotional, medical and financial support from both of their parents. Financial commitment by parents, as well as their involvement in their children's lives, is very important for children’s well being.

Denver Child Support works very hard to ensure that children receive the support they need even though they may not live with both of their parents. We work to help children and their parents by:

Assisting with locating a non-custodial parent;

Establishing paternity and creating a legal relationship between a father and child:

Helping establish and enforce medical and child support orders;

Monitoring and enforcing court-ordered child support obligations;

Conducting reviews that may result in an increase or decrease in child support amounts.

Denver Child Support will help you get started with applying for and receiving services such as locating the non-custodial parent, establishing paternity, and establishing a child support or medical support order.

Applying for Denver Child Support Services
If you are not currently receiving TANF (financial assistance from the state), please use this Child Support Application Form or call Denver Child Support Customer Service at (720) 944-2960 and ask for a NON-TANF Application packet.

Once you have filled out the application, you can call customer service at (720) 944-2960 to request an appointment for an interview. You will bring the application with you when you come to our offices for the interview.

If you come to our offices at 1200 Federal Blvd. in Denver, you will be able to pick up an application and set an appointment for an interview at that time, but you will not be able to drop off your application -- we accept applications only during the interview.

If you are currently receiving TANF and you are a resident of Denver county, you are automatically referred to Denver Child Support. You can contact Denver Child Support Customer Service at (720) 944-2960 to get information about your case.

To help us process your application, you may be asked to provide the following information about the other parent if you know it:

After you apply for services and we have all the necessary information for your case, a Child Support technician will provide locate, establishment, and/or enforcement services.

Establishing a Child Support Order

If there is no previous child support order, a Child Support technician will work to create a child support order through an administrative and negotiating process. If an agreement cannot be reached with the non-custodial parent, the technician will refer the case for a court hearing. The technician will provide information about the hearing at that time if necessary.

Paternity is the legally-established relationship between a father and his child.

Benefits of Establishing Paternity

Fostering a working relationship between the child's parents

A child will have access to his father's Social Security payments, pension(s), retirement, life insurance, or disability benefits, etc.

The father’s health history will be available

Establishing Paternity

Paternity can be established by:

A man affirms he is the father of a child by signing an Acknowledgement of Paternity form. This form needs to be signed by both the father and the mother and submitted to the Bureau of Vital Statistics. Once this form has been submitted to the Bureau of Vital Statistics and appropriate fees have been paid, the father's name will be added to the child(ren)'s birth certificate. This form can be obtained from the Bureau of Vital Statistics or at the birthing hospital.

A man affirms he is the father of a child by signing an Admission of Paternity and other appropriate paperwork at the Denver County Child Support Office. The legal documents are then filed with the court along with a Report of Paternity Determination form. Denver Child Support will certify the Report of Paternity Determination form and forward it to the Bureau of Vital Statistics to add the father's name to the child's birth certificate. Fees are charged for a copy of this changed birth certificate.

A man denies, or is not sure if, he is the father of a child, genetic testing is requested. Once genetic testing is completed and a positive result is received, the father can admit he is the father of the child or paternity can be determined administratively or by the court.

If paternity is adjudicated, a Report of Paternity Determination form is completed by the Child Support Office and submitted to the Court. The Child Support Office will certify the Report of Paternity Determination form and forward it on to the Bureau of Vital Statistics to add the father's name to the child's birth certificate. Fees are charged for a copy of this changed birth certificate.

Payment amounts are determined by reviewing both parents’ income and following the Colorado Child Support Guidelines. Credit may be given for other child support payments being made, day care expenses, medical insurance premiums for the child(ren), or other factors.

The parent who is ordered to pay child support will send payments to the Family Support Registry (FSR), Colorado’s centralized child support collection unit. The FSR processes payments and distributes funds to the custodial parent.

To receive credit for making a child support payment, the non-custodial parent must make the payment directly to the FSR unless authorized by the court to pay the custodial parent directly.

You may make your payment by check, money order, Western Union, direct withdrawal from a bank account, or wage witholding.

To check if a child support payment has been made or received, please call 303-299-9123 (or toll-free 800-374-6558).

Once a parent has been ordered to pay child support, he or she must make arrangements to make those payments according to the order. Failure to make those arrangements or to continue making payments can result in steps being taken to enforce the child support order through legal or administrative methods.

Failure to pay child support may result in one or more of the following:

Suspended driver's license

Seizure of bank account

Income assignments

Interception of IRS and/or Colorado State tax refund

Liens placed on property

Interception of unemployment and worker's compensation payments

Negative credit reports

Denial of passport application

Loss of professional and recreational licenses

Interception of gambling and lottery winnings

If anything changes in your circumstances or other aspects related to your case, do not stop making payments. Contact your Child Support representative to explain the details and find out what steps you should take.

It is very important that we have your most up-to-date address! You must make sure we have your current address. If you have moved recently or are planning to move, please tell us your new address as soon as possible.

We want to help families by making sure that child support orders fit each family’s current circumstances. If there have been changes in either parent's life, child support may need to change, too. You must have an open case with us to request a review, but either parent can make the request.

The amount of child support ordered might be changed if one or more of the following has happened:

Changes in either of the parent’s income;

Changes in medical insurance coverage or in uninsured medical expenses;

Changes in child care expenses;

A change in the number of overnights either parent has with the children;

A child reaches the legal age of emancipation.

The process for changing the Child Support Order

Either parent can request a review of the Child Support Order. To modify an order, we use a “review and adjustment” process; the first step in that process is gathering information from both parents about income and expenses or other financial obligations. We may ask either or both parent(s) to come to our offices during the review process.

We will review all information provided to determine if there is a valid request and if there is, to determine the amount of the payments in the new child support order. Both parents will have the opportunity to provide input during the process.

Your current child support order is still in effect while your request is being reviewed and child support payments must continue to be made until a new order has been approved.

Requesting a Review
Send your request in writing to technician who is handling your case. Please include the following information as part of your request:

Full name

Address and phone number

Social Security Number

IV-D case number or FSR case number

The reason you need your child support order changed

Copies of documents to support the request for the change, including:

- Pay stubs or unemployment documentation;

- Child care receipts;

- Proof of health insurance and premium amount

- A Parenting Time order or agreement

You can complete this Financial Statement (Word document) and include it with your written request for review. If you do not provide this form with your request, we will send you a form for you to complete and send back to us.

To get information about Denver Child Support Services, provide or get information about your case, or to update your address, please call our Child Support Customer Service Line at 720-944-2960 (or toll free at 800-809-0805).

We are available 8:00 a.m. -- 4:30 p.m., Monday -- Friday.

To receive general information by email, or if you have a concern or comment, please send a message to Thomas Battany, Operational Supervisor II, thomas.battany@denvergov.org

To find out about a Child Support payment that you are waiting for or that you have sent, please call the Family Support Registry (FSR) at (303) 299-9123 (or toll free at 800-374-6558).

It is very important that we have your most up-to-date address! Whether you pay child support or receive child support, you must make sure we have your current address. If you have moved recently or are planning to move, please tell us your new address as soon as possible.